Improvement in sheet-metal-seaming machines



No. 190.987. Patented May 22,1877.

iaflitnesm lmxeniur a 6. 96m m MPETERS. PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON,D L

PATENT QFFIOE.

L Joni; F. STARR, JR., OF GAMDEN, NEW JERSEY.

IMPROVEMENT IN SHEET-METAL-SEAMING MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 190,987, dated May 22,1877; application filed March 21, 1877.

To'dll whom t'tmay conccmt:

Be it known that I, JOHN F. STARR, Jr., of the city and county ofCamden, in the State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Machines for Seaming Sheet Metal, of which the followingis a specification:

The object of my invention is to obviate the livery tables, sidegages,and cutters, all as hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side view, in elevation, ofa machine for seaming sheet metal, embodying my improvements; Fig. 2, avertical longitudinal central section, and Fig. 3 a plan or top view ofthe same.

The machine is mounted in vertical housings A, to the upper portions ofwhich are secured at each end respectively a horizontal receiving-table,A and a similar delivery-table, A. Two or more pairs of horizontalshafts, each shaft carrying a press-roll, are mounted in bearings in thehousings, between the receiving and delivery tables, the shafts of eachpair being arranged vertically, one above the other, and in suchrelation to the tables as that a line drawn from one table to the othershall be about tangential to the lower rolls. In this instance I employthree pairs of pressrolls, B B O O D D, secured, respectively, uponshafts b 11 ,0 c and d al The boxes or bearings of the several shaftsrest in vertical openings in the housings, and the boxes of the uppershaft of each pair are adjustable by means of set-screws e engaging nutsin the cap-plates a of the housings and acting against the tension ofsprings e interposed between the upper and lower boxes. The shafts areso adjusted as that the distances between the rolls of the several pairsshall diminish relatively in the direction of the passage of the sheetsbetween them from the receiving to the delivery table, so as to impartrelatively-increasing pressures to the folded edges constituting theseam.

Side guides at are secured upon the receiving-table and similar guides aupon the delivery-table, each being adjustable by bolts passing throughslots, or by other suitable devices, so as to be regulated to the widthof the sheets opera ted upon, and to insure the feeding of the turnededges truly in line with the rolls.

For the purpose of trimming the sheets to auniform width, I providecutters F, which are secured upon shafts f f mounting in bearings in thehousings, one above the other, and adjustable by set-screws, in asimilar manner to the bearings of the press-rolls. The cutters areadjustable laterally upon their shafts by moving on screw-threadsthereon, or by setscrews and keys, so as to reduce the sheets to anydesired width, and feed-rolls f f each of which may be continuous, asshown, or divided into sections, are secured upon the cutter-shafts toassist in moving the sheets and to maintain them in proper relation tothe cutters.

' I have, in this instance, shown the cutting mechanism as placed at thedischarge end of the machine, which arrangement answers well inoperating upon heavy metal; but inasmuch as the cutters are obliged topass through the finished seam, which opposes considerable resistance totheir action, I prefer, in general, to locate the cutters in advance ofthe pressrolls, so that the operation of trimming shall precede or becoincident with the commencement of the application of pressure to theseam. It is obvious that in such case the feed-rolls of thecutter-shafts must be so set relatively as to apply no greater pressureto the edges of the seam than that which will be imparted by the firstpair of press-rolls.

Motion is imparted to the roll and cutter shafts from a driving-shaft,g, to which power may be applied through a pulley, G, or by a crank. Aspur-gear, g, on the driving-shaft meshes with a similar gear, 01 on theupper roll-shaft d, and this, in turn, with a gear, 0, on the lowerroll-shaft c meshing with another gear, b, on the upper roll-shaft b.The

- rolls of each pair are geared together by pinions h, and preferably ateach of their ends, and the cutter-shafts f f are similarly gearedtogether and driven by an intermediate pinion, 0', meshing with thepinions of the lower feed-shat'tf and the lower roll-shaft d.

In the operation of the machine, the shafts being adjusted so that thedistances between the rolls of the several pairs shall diminishrelatively toward the delivery-table, the side guides of thereceiving-table are set to correspond with the width of the sheets to beseamed, and the meeting-edges of the latter having been turned over andhooked together, the sheets are passed to the first pair of pressrolls,by which an initial pressure is imparted to the seam uniformly from endto end, and in the passage of the sheet between the succeeding rolls anincreased pressure is imparted at each pair, and a smooth and finishedseam is formed thereby.

It is seen that the sheets are passed from one pair of rolls to anotherwithout intermediate divergence. After leaving the last pair of rollsthe sheets pass between the cutters, by which they are trimmed to thedesired width, and are maintained in properline with the cutters duringthe operation by the side guides of the delivery-table. As beforestated, the operation of trimming is in general preferably performedbefore that of pressing.

By the use of my improvements the opera tion of seaming is performedwith far greater celerity and accuracy than by the old process ofhammering down the edges by hand, and

this without the bending or buckling of the sheets, which is generallyan accompaniment of the latter process.

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. Thecombination, in a machine for seaming sheet metal, of a receiving-tableand two or more pairs of press-rolls, whereby the sheets to be seamedare passed directly from one pair of rolls to the next, the rolls ofeach pair being placed relatively closer together in the direction ofthe feed of the sheets, substantalily as set forth.

2. The combination, in a machine for seaming sheet metal, of areceiving-table, side guides adjustable transversely thereon, and aseries of press-rolls, through which the sheets to be seamed aredirectly passed, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, in a machine for seaming sheet metal, of a series ofpress-rolls, through which the sheets to be seamed are directly passed,and cutters adjustable transversely upon rotating shafts, substantiallyas set forth.

4. The combination, in a machine for seaming sheet metal, of rotatingcutters, adjustable transversely upon their shafts, and a receiving ordischarge table provided with adjustable side guides, substantially asset forth.

J OHN F. STARR, J R.

Witnesses J. SNowDEN BELL, F. E. HARDING.

